🌱✗ Tested and false“A scatter of Epsom salts will green plants up and stop blossom end rot”
Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate, and they contain no calcium whatsoever, so they cannot address a calcium problem. Worse, magnesium and calcium compete for uptake, so adding magnesium can make blossom end rot more likely rather than less. Most garden soils hold plenty of magnesium already, and adding more unbalances what is there.
Our read Blossom end rot is not a soil shortage in the first place. It is about calcium reaching the fruit, which is governed by steady watering, so the fix is a watering can and a mulch rather than anything you buy.
What to do: Water consistently and mulch to hold that moisture steady. Use Epsom salts only if a soil test has actually shown a magnesium deficiency, which is uncommon.
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“One courgette plant is plenty: they feed a family on their own”
A single courgette plant produces steadily rather than overwhelmingly. It gives one or two fruits at a time across the season, which is a contribution to a household rather than a glut. The reputation comes from people who planted four and blamed the fourth when they could not keep up.
Our read Two plants is the practical minimum for a family that actually eats courgettes regularly. One plant means a fruit every few days, which is a side dish rather than a supply.
What to do: Plant at least two, spaced about a metre apart. Three gives you enough to give away. One leaves you buying courgettes in August while staring at a single fruit on the plant.
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- RHSPick fruits regularly to encourage further cropping; one plant produces steadily, not overwhelmingly
“If your courgette only makes male flowers you won't get any fruit”
Courgettes always produce male flowers first, sometimes for a week or two before the first female appears. This is normal plant behaviour rather than a problem. Dry soil at the roots delays female flower production, so the fix is watering, not panicking.
What to do: Wait. Male flowers appearing first is the normal sequence. Water consistently and the females will follow. If the plant is producing only male flowers well into the season, dryness is the usual cause.
In Scotland: In a cool, wet Scottish summer the opposite can happen: female flowers appear but are not pollinated because insect activity is low. Hand-pollinate with a small brush if you see fruit forming then rotting at the tip.
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- RHSMale flowers appear first; dry soil can delay female flower production
“Courgettes need full sun or they won't produce anything”
Full sun produces the heaviest crop, but courgettes are more tolerant of partial shade than their reputation suggests. A sheltered position in full sun is advised, though the plants are productive under a wide range of conditions. Light shade reduces the crop rather than eliminating it.
What to do: Give them the sunniest spot you have, but do not skip growing courgettes because the only available bed gets shade in the afternoon. A plant in partial shade will still crop, just more slowly.
In Scotland: A Scottish 'full sun' position is already lower in total light than the south of England, so give them the best light you have. The gap between full sun and partial shade is narrower here.
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- RHSSheltered position in full sun; productive under a wide range of conditions
“A courgette is a courgette: one variety is as good as another”
Varieties differ in habit, disease resistance, and productivity. Bush and trailing types, green and yellow varieties all differ, and some have better powdery mildew resistance than others. Picking the right one for your space and climate makes a real difference.
What to do: Choose a bush variety for containers or small plots, and a variety with good powdery mildew resistance for a Scottish summer where humidity drives fungal disease.
In Scotland: Mildew resistance matters more here than in drier parts of Britain. A variety like 'Defender' bred for resistance will crop weeks longer than a susceptible variety in a wet Scottish August.
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- RHSBush and trailing types available; some varieties have better mildew resistance
“Getting water on courgette leaves when you water gives them powdery mildew”
The common rule of thumb has this backwards. Drought-stressed plants are more susceptible to powdery mildew, not well-watered ones, and direct water contact on leaves can actually reduce the disease because the fungus doesn't like it, as long as it's done in mid-morning during dry weather. The real risk is leaves staying wet for long stretches, which favours other diseases, which is why evening overhead watering is discouraged.
What to do: Keep courgettes consistently watered rather than letting them dry out. If watering overhead, do it in mid-morning so foliage dries by evening; avoid watering late in the day.
In Scotland: Scotland's cooler, often already-humid growing conditions mean drought stress is less often the trigger here than it is further south. Good airflow between plants matters more locally than worrying about the hose touching leaves.
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- RHS — Powdery mildewsPlants suffering from regular but intermittent drought-stress are more susceptible. Overhead watering (in mid-morning) in dry weather can reduce powdery mildew (which does not like direct contact with water). Avoid leaves remaining wet for long as this may favour other diseases.
“If you miss a courgette it turns into a marrow and the whole plant stops producing”
A fruit left to swell into a marrow genuinely does signal the plant that its job is done. The advice is to pick courgettes regularly when young and tender, since leaving fruits to mature on the plant will check further production.
What to do: Check plants every two days in summer. Cut rather than twist the fruit off, and pick them at 10-15cm. Any marrow-sized fruit still removes it immediately.
In Scotland: Courgettes swell fast in warm, wet Scottish summers: a fruit that was finger-sized on Friday can be a marrow by Monday. During a wet spell, check daily.
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- RHSPick regularly while young; leaving fruit to mature checks further production
